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Rattus gets Cecilia Gallerani talking to Leonardo and Michelangelo about art!

The writers and cast behind Horrible Histories wonder what it might be like if Leonard da Vinci had his own podcast. It is set towards the end of his career.

Cecilia Gallerani (subject of Da Vinci’s painting Lady with an Ermine) wants to interview Leonardo about his famous painting of the Mona Lisa but he is too easily distracted by his inventions. He shows off about his odometer, his triple-barrelled cannon, flamboyant clothes – anything but the Mona Lisa! At one point he even gets some live birds delivered. Fed up, Cecilia goes off to find another artist to talk to.

There is a mock advert for ‘comparethemonarch.king”, a service for struggling artists to compare potential royal patrons. There is also a quiz question about the time Leonardo tried to blow up bull intestines like a balloon.

To Leonardo’s consternation, Cecilia returns with Michelangelo and the two artists immediately trade insults – attacking each others’ work and personal appearance. We learn that Da Vinci prefers painting to sculpture and that he took a long time to finish his work. Things come to a head when Cecilia finally realises she is not going to get a straight answer on the Mona Lisa and ends the pod.

Rattus offers some context at the top and tail of the episode, which also features two songs from the TV series – Hello it’s a Me and Borgia Family.

The minipod that goes with this episode features a deleted scene in which actors Tom Stourton, Jess Ransom and James McNicholas improvise in character about which is better – painting or sculpture.

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16 minutes